Means for making casts



4 March 6, 1928.

E. HESS MEANS FOR MAKING CASTS W 2 7 w A m w 1 a t Patented Mar. '6, 1928.

UNITED/STA T S- P man-ass; or c'nrcaeo, rLm-nors.

Mums .non uaxme; oAs'rs.

Application filed tama- 14, 192.7. Serial No. 175,274.

In order to make boots or shoes: which will fit properly, it is. desirable to have lasts made to conform. to the feet of the wearer, and: this is particularly true in cases of misshapen or deformed feet; In order to. make proved devices andithe material for making the molds may sent to persons. at any distance. from the place of business where the casts. are made andreturned them tosuch. place of businessso that suitable lasts-may be made for peoplea-t any distance throughout the country.

Other objectsof my invention are to provide a: novelflask. or box inzwhich the mold .or negativeo-i a foot or the like may be. made; to. provide an improved. method of making molds or negatives of feet or the like and means for carrying out such method "in a convenient manner; and to provide such other. advantages. and. desirable fea tures as will appear from, the following description. I

Inthe accompanying drawings illustrating this invention,

Figure 1 is-a top viewof my improved mold box or flask; t

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the'line 22 of-Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

The flask or box 5 may be made of any suitable material, but for convenience in shipping, as by parcel'post, as wellas for cheapness in construction, I prefer to make the same of paper, cardboard, fibre board, or the like. The flask. is made in two parts 6 and 7 which are hinged together, as shown at 8, by any suitable hinges. In the device as shown, these hinges are formed of straps of webbing, tape or the like. The two.

halves are provided at one end with blocks 9 to form a heelsupport, as shown particularly in Figures 1. and 2., A. thin plate or blade 10 is pivoted to the lower portion otone. of the halves and projects forwardly from the heel support. The upper edge; of this blade is-shaped to conform to the arch mam OFFICE.

or central portion of the foot, as shownin.

Figure 2 and the blade may be adjusted to fit different arches. The bottomot' thebox or flask is preferably lined. witha lining '11. of felt orcloth. 9 r

The flask or box, when sent outfor the purpose of making a mold or negative, is

provided with a strip of paper or easily sev-.

erable fabric 12 which is pasted over the oint or opening'13 between the two halves.

The flask or box is made. so that it con-forms somewhat'roughlyto the shape of the foot, having a tapered or bevelled cover 14 over the front part thereof, and an opening 15 through which thefootmay be inserted-.:

In carrying out my method of operation these flasks will be sent out to the person desiring casts to be made and will be accompanied with a suflicient quantity of plaster of Paris or the like for making the form or mold. The person. rcceivingthe same mixes the plaster with a sufiicient amount of water to make aproper mixture and, when the foot is placed in position in the flask,the plaster is. poured in around the same. thereby filling the flask or box and completelv enveloping the footwith the exception of the points of supportv where'it rests on; the heelblocks and bottom of the flask. It will be noted that this plaster will run in underthe arch of the foot and will come to a. thin edge around the ball of I the foot and the lower portions of the toes.

The plaster will adhere closely to the felt or fabric 11 in the bottom of the flask, and these thin edges will be supported and held in position more securely after the foot is removed than if the bottom surface were.

substantially hard when the two halves of i the flask or box are swung. apart on the hinges 8 to release the foot. At such time the blade 10 serves as a. separator so that the plaster will be evenly divided under the arch of the toot. The flask or box is then closed and the parts tied or fastened together by strings 16. or in any suitable manner and sent back to the manufacturer who then uses the mold in the usual manner for making a cast of the foot and eventually, the cast having been properly manipulated, is used as a term for making the last.

From this description. it will be seen that I provide an improved method or system for assisting those needing special forms of boots or shoes to be supplied with the same without the assistance of experts in making molds. and it will also be noted that the flasks or boxes may be made cheaply so that they will ordinarily be used once only. However. changes in the form and construction of the device may be made without departing from the scope of my invention. as set forth in the following claims, in which I claim:

1. A flask for making molds ot teet or the like comprising a box formed of suitable material and conforming generally to the form of the foot and having an opening for inserting the foot, said box being tormed in two parts which are hinged together and united on a substantially median plane and having -frangible means for temporarily holding the tree edges together when the cast is to be made.

2. K flask for forming a mold of a foot, comprising a frame conforming generally to the shape of the foot and divided on a substantially median line, hinges on the bot tom of the frame. a heel plate for supporting the heel above the bottom of the frame, and an adjustable blade extending forwardly from the heel plate and conforming to the arch of the foot.

3. The combination with a divided flask. of a strip of paper or fabric covering the joint between the portions of the flask, as and for the purpose described.

4. A flask for forming molds. having a lining of felt or the like for a portion or all of the interior of? the flask.

5. A flask which conforms generally to the shape of a foot and is adapted for receiving a foot for making a mold. said flask being formed in two parts which are hinged together at the bottom, and a strip of paper covering the division between the upper portions of the flask. said paper serving to hold the parts .in closed position and to seal the flask whereby it will hold the mixture and being adapted to be severed when the mold is formed in order to open the flask.

6. The method of forming a mold of a foot which consists in inserting the foot in a divided flask, then fastening the parts of the flask together by sever-able strips. then pouring plaster or the like into the tlask around the toot. then inserting a blade between the parts of the flask at the front. and back of the foot thereby severing the strips and dividing the plaster before it has hardened, then permitting the plaster to harden. and finally opening the flask to release the foot.

7. The method of making a mold or negative of a foot. which consists in inserting the 'footin a box which is divided lon- .Q'itudinally with the parts held together by a strip of paper or the like over the joint between the parts. then pouring plaster or the like in the box around the foot and permitting it to harden to a predetermined degree. then inserting a blade between the two parts to divide the plaster longitudinally of the foot and at the same time out the strip. then permitting the plaster to harden to a further degree, and finally opening the box to release the foot.

EZRA HESS. 

